A KITCHEN WITCH

A KITCHEN WITCH'S BASIC FORMULARY
(preparation of candles and incense, essential oils, recipes etc.)

Candles and Candle Magic
Types of Candles

Votive
Short and stubby. Usually burned in a small cup or container. Used to provide a light for several hours Less space consuming so more candles can be placed on
the work table at the same time.

Taper
Long and slender. They may be burned in a candle holder. Very elegant and they can be allowed to drip into a pie pan so that the drippings can be read in a manner similar to tea leaf reading. They come in many different lengths and thicknesses.

Candle-in-a-jar
This is a large, long-lasting candle which is formed by pouring either colored wax into a clear glass container or clear wax into a colored glass container. When anointing the candle only the top of the candle is anointed. This is probably the safest candle to leave burning unattended provided the maker of the candle took care to ensure that the wick runs in the center of the candle. Although leaving any candle or open flame burning with no one around is considered dangerous and foolish.

Specialty Candles
Candle-in-a-jar Candles dedicated to a Christian Saint or to a VooDoo Loa. The designs, signatures, and instructions on how to use the candle are printed on the glass container.

Cross Candles
Candles formed into the shape of a cross. Comes in black, white, green and red. Used as altar pieces for Christian oriented work tables.

Male and Female Figurine Candles
Comes in black, white, green and red. Used to bind two people together or to separate them. Burned face to face so that they melt into each other for binding. Burned back to back so that no wax mixes to bring about a banishment.

Seven Day Knob Candles
A candle which is cast so that its length is made of seven knobs. One knob is burned each day for the duration of the spell.

Colors
The color of the candle should reflect the planetary aspect that is assigned to the incense you are going to use.

Anointing the Candle
There are two general methods which are used to anoint the candle. The first method consists of starting at the middle of the candle and anointing it to the top, then going back to the middle you would anoint down toward the bottom. The principle behind this is that you are the center of the candle, sending your energy both upward into the spiritual planes and downward onto the physical. The second method is to start at the top of the candle and draw an unbroken line down the side, under its base, and back up the other side. When you reach the top of the candle you turn it 1/4 turn and trace another unbroken line in the previous manner so that the candle is "tied" to your purpose. When you are using a candle-in-a-jar you would anoint it by placing your moistened finger inside and rubbing it clockwise, or counterclockwise as needed, three times in a circle in three sets to make up nine. Here is one of the more popular rhymes used to focus your attention on what you are doing. Perhaps you have heard it before?

"The wyrd sisters, hand in hand
Posters of the Sea and Land
Do go about and about
Thrice to thine, and thrice to mine
And thrice again to make up nine.
Peace! The charm's wound up!"

Casting Your Own Candles
Most of today's candles are made from paraffin wax. Paraffin is sold in blocks in grocery stores for sealing the tops of homemade preserves. Coloring for the candles can be bought at an arts-and-crafts store or, if you are not going to make a lot at one time, you can melt a colored crayon in the hot paraffin. Molds for your candles should have smooth sides and should not break your heart if they have to be broken or cut off your candle with tin-snips. Lengths of wick can be bought or you can make your own by soaking cotton thread or string (not nylon) in a boracic solution (the crystals may be obtained at your pharmacist's) and then leaving it to dry. When you are ready to make your candles, knock a small hole in the bottom of your mold and run your wick through it. Tie a knot in the wick at the outside bottom of the mold of the mold and apply some patching plaster to the inside to close the hole. Tie the other end of the wick to a nail or stick which is long enough to rest across the sides of the mold. Make sure the wick is taut so it is not wasted. To safely melt the paraffin place cut up lumps of it into the top of a cheap double boiler which is sitting in a water bath and heat the water bath slowly until the clumps of wax melt thoroughly. DO NOT place the wax into a pan which is resting directly on the heat source. Wax is flammable and very hard to extinguish if you start a fire in the pan with it. Once the paraffin is melted add your coloring If you wish to scent your candle this is the time to add your essential oils. Herb oils and essences may be purchased in most pharmacies, herb stores, arts-and-crafts stores or occult supply stores. REMEMBER that the oils should be used with restraint or else your candle will stink like a cheap bar of soap. The wax is poured into the mold a little at a time, say one fourth, and then allowed to cool and form a depression, then another fourth, and so on until the candle is entirely formed. Once the candle is poured place it in a jug of cold water so that the candle may cool but no water may enter the mold. When thoroughly cold, tip out the candle trim the wick and burnish the candles with a piece of cotton dipped in vegetable oil.
It is customary NOT to blow out magic candles. Candle snuffers are preferred to the use of wet fingertips or a plate smashed down on the wick. IT IS NOT A SAFE PRACTICE to leave a candle burning unattended in a closed-up house. Even the seemingly safest candle can be knocked over by a stray animal or a gust of wind and start a fire in your home.

Preparation of Incense and Charcoal

Types of Incense
Oils - Sprinkled on a fire or a glowing coal
Powdered - Warmed in tiny braziers, Require a glowing coal to ignite

Small Cones - Also burned in a brazier, Does not need to sit on a charcoal Joss

Sticks - Burned by placing sand in a bowl and lodging the stick in the sand in an upright position.

Ribbons - Made of inch-wide woven cotton ribbons, Burned in an ashtray

Papers - Specially treated papers which when lit are gently blown out and allowed to smolder in ashtrays.
Used primarily to deodorize a room.

Colors of Incenses
The color is provided by the base and corresponds to the color assigned to the planets in the Table of Correspondences. Of course it is up to you, after experimentation, to determine if the assigned colors work for you.

Bases and Recipes for Each Type of Incense
Most bases are made from the sawdust, or raspings, of wood. Ground cascarilla bark is used in the finer incenses because it gives off a weak musk smell when burned. It would not be unusual to find that the wood base of an incense was made from raspings of the tree that is sacred to the Intelligence of the planet for which the incense is prepared.

The basic recipe for a wood base is as follows 50 % of the total volume of the incense in the form of raspings.
-Normally 1 1/2 ounces mixed with 2 ounces of powdered Benzoin and one ounce of Storax. 50 % of the total volume of the incense in the form of finely ground spices, herbs, or coarsely ground resins.
-Normally about one ounce. Before mixing the base you would want to dye the raspings in a pot of clothing dye and allow them to dry fully in the sun. As the raspings start to dry you should spread them out on a drying board to ensure that they do not dry in clumps.

Being careful to wear rubber gloves when you are handling the raspings during the dying process and afterwards when you are spreading them out to dry will keep you from dying your hands as well.

The base for making cones is as follows
6 oz Finely ground charcoal
1 oz Powdered Benzoin
1/2 oz Saltpeter
1/4 oz Tolu
1/4 oz of raspings
Enough mucilage of tragacanth (or gum arabic) to make a stiff paste. The solid ingredients are ground to a fine powder and mixed into the tragacanth. Gum tragacanth and gum arabic or acacia gum are the two principle glues used to hold powdered ingredients together. Mucilage of tragacanth is prepared by placing a tablespoon of powdered tragacanth into a container of 10 ozs of water. If necessary correct the consistency - you want a heavy paste that can be molded with your hands. Keep the mucilage well covered so that it will remain soft. If the tragacanth or gum of arabic pastes become hard before you have a chance to mold them they can be softened in a double boiler with gentle heat and constant stirring. When the oils and other powdered ingredients are added the mixture should form a manageable dough. After the addition of the scented oils the mixture is divided and rolled into small cones.
A cone shaped mold is handy to use as it is hard to get the exact shape just with your fingers - but not impossible. You have to work quite fast and keep the unused portion in a bowl
covered with a damp cloth. Set these little shapes aside to dry - which takes a day - and they are ready to ignite. Joss sticks are difficult to make without a special press.
You can obtain one in areas where there is a large oriental population. The idea is to make coils from the paste mixture prepared in the recipe for cones. You might roll slim snakes of the paste, place them on waxed paper and stick tiny twigs into one end so they will stand in an incense holder. You might also try rolling paste around a thick broom straw.

Sweet Ribbons are made with inch-wide woven cotton
ribbons like the ones used in upholstery repair. To ensure an even and slow burn in the ribbons you should prepare a solution of 12 ozs of boiling water and 1 oz of saltpeter. Pull the ribbons through the solution until they are thoroughly saturated and set them aside in the sun to dry.

Saltpeter (sodium nitrate) is obtainable from your druggist. After the ribbon is dried it is pulled through a shallow tray of the perfume you are using and dried again.

To use you cut off a length of ribbon and light one end. Blow out the fire and set the smoldering ribbon in an ashtray.

Armenian Incense Papers are prepared by cutting a large sheet of white blotting paper into about eight pieces. Pull each piece of paper through the saltpeter solution prepared for the Sweet Ribbons until each piece is thoroughly saturated. Hang the strips to dry. Macerate or soak a crushed vanilla bean in 8 ozs of vodka for a week. Filter the solids out. Add a few drops (according to preference) of your favorite essence oils to the alcohol and mix this with 1 1/2 ozs of powdered benzoin and 1 oz of crushed sandalwood. Again draw the papers through the resulting liquid and hang them to dry. When dry cut them into inch-wide strips and store them in waxed paper or foil. To perfume a room light the corner of one of the papers and immediately blow it out It should smolder and give off it's scent. Leave the smoldering paper in an ashtray until it has burned itself out. Most incenses will burn by themselves but oils and resinous incenses, like Frankincense and Myrrh, as well as most powdered incense require a glowing charcoal to provide the heat for ignition. Most religious supply stores sell self-igniting charcoal in little round pieces which can be used whole or broken into smaller pieces. If you have a mind to you can make your own charcoal and then treat it so that it will catch fire easily.

To make your own charcoal build a small fire using wood chips purchased at the supermarket or pieces of bark from a nursery in a container which is airtight when it is closed. Once the wood is glowing red-hot close the lid and let the fire smother. After the coals have cooled from several hours to a few days remove them and grind them up into a fine powder using the grating side of a kitchen grater. To treat your charcoal for easy lighting and shaping into usable shapes you will need to prepare a solution of 30 ozs of water in which 1/2 oz of saltpeter has been dissolved. Add 30 ozs of the ground up charcoal to the saltpeter-and-water solution and add just enough gum tragacanth or gum arabic to make a heavy paste. Form the paste into small squares or circles and make an indentation in the top of them with your thumb. This will form a cup to hold a pinch of incense. To light your charcoal hold a flame to the corner of one of your squares or the edge of one of the circles. Lay the charcoal in an incense burner which has some sand or ashes in at least 1/3 of the burner to prevent burning the table that it sits on. Wait until all of the charcoal is glowing and then place a pinch of powdered incense or a small piece of resin on the coal. Be careful not to smother it with too much incense.

Formulas For The Planetary Incenses

Moon Incense
Wood base is made of Willow raspings colored white or silver for use on the New Moon, red or green on the Full Moon and black on the Waning Moon. Mix equal parts of wormwood and camphor raspings to the wood base. Form into whichever form of incense you prefer. Don't forget you can shape it into symbols that hold special meaning for you. Making small crescent moons using the recipe for cones would be appropriate.

Sun Incense
Wood base is made of Acacia, Bay Laurel, Ash, Birch or Broom raspings and colored gold or yellow. Mix equal parts of coarsely ground Frankincense and Myrrh. It is best to form these into cones for an even burn.

Mercury Incense
Wood base is made of Hazel, Ash or Almond raspings and colored violet. Mix equal parts of gum mastic and cinnamon. Powder or cones will work just as well.

Venus Incense
Wood base is made of Apple or Quince raspings and colored green, indigo, or rose red. Mix equal parts of finely ground Lavender, Chamomile, Cinnamon, Orris Root, and Rose Petals. Add Musk and Patchouli oil to your liking. Best prepared as a powdered incense.

Mars Incense
Wood base is made of Holly or Kerm-oak raspings and colored blood red. Mix 4 parts coarsely ground Dragon's Blood resin with 4 parts ground Rue, 1 part Ginger, 1 part coarsely ground Peppercorns and a pinch of sulfur. Best prepared as a powdered incense.

Jupiter Incense
Wood base is made of Oak, Olive, or Terebinth raspings and colored deep blue or royal blue. Mix equal parts of finely ground Anise, Mint, Hyssop, Chervil, Liverwort, and Juniper. Makes an excellent powdered incense.

Saturn Incense
Wood base is made of Alder or Pomegranate raspings and colored black or blue. Mix 4 parts of coarsely ground Myrrh, 1 part Elderberry, 1 part Cypress, 1 part Yew and 1 part Patchouli raspings. Burns best as a powder if it is finely mixed. Cones are better if you cannot mix them well.

Using Spices as Incense

It was quite common at one time to use spices to perfume a room or house. Popular spices such as cinnamon, allspice, ginger, cloves or rosemary leave a room smelling very pleasant. Heat up about 1/4 of a teaspoonful of a good vegetable cooking oil and stir in your spices As soon as the mixture starts to smoke remove it from the heat and
walk about room with the pan of hot spices.

Preparation of Essence Oils

Methods of Extraction
The three most popular methods of extracting essence oils from plants are distillation, enfleurage and maceration. Distillation is the most common method of extraction and works well on leaves, bark, roots, seeds and tough flowers such as roses and lavender. This method is not suitable for the more delicate flowers however. The basic apparatus for distillation consists of a still or retort in which the materials are heated over a boiling liquid, a condenser to cool and condense the resulting vapor carrying the oils, and a receiver to collect the distilled liquid. In operation you cut up about 60 - 80 grams of plant material as best you can and place it in the retort where the contents are steamed by the boiling water inside. As the steam passes over the plant material it causes the moisture in the plants to escape carrying the essential oils along with it. The vapor enters into the condenser where it cools and condenses into tiny droplets which slide down the collector into a vial Generally, the first ounce is pure oil and the rest is suitable for toilet water. Enfleurage is a method of extraction which uses no heat and is best applied to the removal of essence oils from delicate flowers like violets, lily-of-the-valley, and mignonette. Enfleurage is based on the principle that essential oils are absorbed by fats and oils. Shallow trays are greased on both sides with purified fat and fresh blossoms are spread thickly between them. Every few days the spent flowers are removed and replaced with fresh ones until, in about 4 weeks, the fat is saturated with the flower oil. This fat is called "pomade". The oil is then extracted from the fat by mixing it with unscented vodka, surgical alcohol or brandy. The oil will dissolve in the alcohol and can be removed by placing the container of fat, essence oil and alcohol in a cold water bath. This is prepared by taking a container full of ice water which is larger than your oil container and placing the oil container in it. The fat will congeal and the alcohol, with the essence oil, can be poured into a suitable container for storage. Sometimes cloths soaked in olive oil are used instead of trays, the blossoms being replaced as necessary until the olive oil is fully charged with the perfume. Then the oil is squeezed from the cloths and the essential oils separated with alcohol as in the earlier procedure. Maceration is a similar and quicker method of extraction used for less fragile flowers. Successive batches of fresh flowers are left to soak in warm fat for several days until the fat is strongly impregnated. As before, the oils are washed out of the fat with alcohol.

Mixing Essence Oils
When mixing essence oils for use as scents on the body you will want to dilute the pure essence oil with 50 % olive oil or light mineral oil. This extends your essence oils and prevents the body oil from being too overpowering. When applying body oils you should place a small drop over those places where the blood vessels run close to the surface of the skin so that as your blood runs hot the scent radiates from you. In working specific spells it might be necessary to use five or more oils to cover all the bases.

Formula for an Anointing Oil
This oil is generally utilized to bless candles before they are used in a ceremony. It is said to magnetize the candle or to give them more occult strength. This oil can also be used to wipe down an altar or a worship room. Determine the total volume of oil you wish to make and mix 50 % of that in the form of good quality olive oil or light mineral oil with a 50 % blend of the following oils.
Patchouli oil
Cinnamon oil
Verbena oil

Try to obtain as pure an oil as possible for each ingredient. Mix the patchouli, cinnamon and verbena in equal amounts so that the total is 50 % of the total volume.